Welcome to our review of Inksplosion, an addictive twin-stick shooter out now on Nintendo Switch!
Why should war be hell when it could be fun? Enter InkSplosion, a single screen twin-stick shooter, where the only real enemy is beating your previous high-score!
Inspired by both modern and old school shooters and from the developers behind Midnight Deluxe, InkSplosion is an arcade delight that is simple to learn, yet hard to master, thanks to endless levels that are decorated only by your colourful ammunition.
Should you rise to the challenge and emerge experience, it only means it is time to bid “farewell” to Normal mode and say “hello” to Arena and Hard, 2 brutal modes that would offer even the most gung-ho of players a worthy conquest! Once you start playing, it becomes really hard to stop!
When I first saw Inksplosion and the icon, I instantly referenced it to Splatoon. I mean seriously, exploding ink and that icon, who could not? But be not afraid, I will be very clear, that is the only time you will think about it. Inksplosion is fun to play and more than just a twin stick shooter, it is a fun experience to play. I thought very little going into the game and the lack of a tutorial really hurt my first impression.
So let me explain how this game works, so you know what to do and what not.
Inksplosion is a twin-stick shooter, so one thumbstick to move around and another one to chose which direction to fire. Press and hold the fire button on top and fire away. Aim properly at the enemies that can come at you from all directions, in most cases, they do come from the corners of the screen. I have had some occasions where I moved my fighter to the bottom and then they all came from opposite sides. The big trick obviously is to instantly take aim for the enemies and hope you can immediately take one or even two out.
As this is all level based, each level is basically just the same size of your screen and has obstacles that can kill you. So it is not just the firing enemies that can damage you, also the laser-like obstacles can prove to be very deadly. As levels increase, this game becomes more of a coordinated flashmob rather than just a game and boy, if you reach that far, the challenge is really on!
Once you get accustomed to the game, you will slowly but surely be able to get used to the level specific weapons you are given. Not all being very effective, some being very powerful too. Nothing beats the challenge of having to face a higher level with a crappy gun or a really nice one like the laser or triple shot. I admit I had way more fun with this game once I got the hang of it, the lack of a small tutorial, even if just a skippable screen on how to play, should be mentioned.
Once you finish a level, you will see why the game is called Inksplosion, this is something that should not be described by words, but you should see it. I had a few really interesting ones myself!
In conclusion, I am giving this game a rating of 80%, the lack of any guidance at first is a turnoff. I actually wanted to stop playing after 5 minutes because I had no idea how to even score a single point. It was only after figuring out basic controls that I managed to have fun and yeah, I just think this detracts at least 10% of the total score it could have gotten. It is great for a short game and as time passes, I will see if it holds up over time or not. With games like Aqua Kitty, GEM, … already on the Switch, will Inksplosion hold up? Time will tell!
